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WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - A charitable foundation has been set up to honor the memory of beloved Eastchester coach Dom Cecere.

Former friends, and players have formed the Dom Cecere Play For 10 Foundation, to honor Cecere’s decades as an educator, mentor and coach in Westchester. The foundation will provide scholarships to college-bound students and engage in endeavors “consistent with Coach Cecere’s life of selfless giving.”

Cecere passed away on April 1 after losing a long battle to pancreatic cancer.

According to John Doherty, the president of the Dom Cecere Play For 10 Foundation, they “also plans to raise funds to construct a permanent memorial at Eastchester High School to forever honor and remember Coach Cecere’s legacy of service to the Eastchester community and beyond.”

“Both the scholarships and the memorial are fitting tributes to this remarkable figure who led a life of selfless giving to students over years while undergoing treatments for prostate cancer, leukemia, and pancreatic cancer,” he said. “The scholarship, in particular, is consistent with Coach Cecere’s personal wishes prior to his passing.”

Cecere was named by the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches as one of its coaches of the year in 2016. He amassed 737 wins as the coach of the Eastchester High School baseball team, the most in the history of New York State. He’s also a member of the Westchester County and New York State Halls of Fame.

Cecere will also be celebrated with the inaugural Golden Eagle Service Award at the Eastchester Hall of Fame Ceremony on Thursday.

However, Doherty said that Cecere’s most significant contributions came off the field, where “he instilled in his students and athletes the principles of working hard, playing by the rules, respecting one another, and carrying oneself with dignity. And for many young people like myself, he was a surrogate father who enabled us to fulfill our dreams.”

Those interested in donating to the cause can do so by mailing checks to the Dom Cecere Play For 10 Foundation ℅ Jason Karol, Athletic Director, Eastchester High School, 2 Stewart Place, Eastchester, NY 10709 or by donating online at
www.playfor10.org.